


Art Lessons

by princegaydrian



Category: Spring Awakening - Sheik/Sater
Genre: Cute babies, Deaf Character, Fluffy, Getting Together, M/M, Mutual Pining, Trans Character, hanschen takes action, trans Ernst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-16
Updated: 2015-12-07
Packaged: 2018-05-01 22:52:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,692
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5224043
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/princegaydrian/pseuds/princegaydrian
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Teach me how to paint." <br/>Ernst gives Hanschen an art lesson, part 1/??.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. An Unusual Request

The truth was that Hanschen was head-over-heels for Ernst. Of course, none of the other boys except for Melchior knew this. They thought that the only reason that he attempted to get in the tall, naïve boy's trousers was to relieve some sexual frustration that Hanschen always seemed to be feeling. Sure, it was a contributing factor that Ernst Robel was extremely attractive and had the perfect, lithe body that Hanschen (on the short side) longed for. But Hanschen had grown to love the boy he had originally only set out to seduce and bang for a while.   
How _lucky_ he was.  
This particular event in Hanschen Rilow's quite interesting love life happened in the springtime of the boys' 17th year.  
Ernst was sitting with his closest group of friends; Martha, Ilse, and Wendla. Ilse was watching as Ernst sketched a reclining figure, faceless so far. Ilse wasn't so clueless, though, and knew exactly who her sweet friend was drawing.   
The fact that he kept glancing at the blonde-haired boy sitting with their other friends wasn't exactly being subtle. The look of an innocent child in love on Ernst's face was something that she had grown to expect whenever Hanschen was near.   
What Ilse _wasn't_ expecting, however, was that Hanschen would look up and hold Ernst's gaze before walking over and plopping himself next to the flushed boy.   
He tried to peek over Ernst's shoulder at his drawing pad, but Ernst quickly flipped it shut.  
"What?", Hanschen signed, "Drawing something forbidden?"   
He chuckled as Ernst flushed scarlet.  
"I was joking, Ernst." Ernst nodded and signed back,  
"I know. It was nothing…"   
His hands paused as he thought.   
"… no, nothing forbidden."  
Ilse shot him a quick look.   
If Hanschen noticed anything, he didn't mention it. Instead, he smiled, a rare sight, before resuming his regular stoic demeanour.   
"Want to hang out after school?"   
Ernst considered this. He had an art assignment due that he really should've been working on that night, but he could do it later. He told Hanschen this, meaning that he couldn't stay for long, wherever Hanschen had in mind. Hanschen didn't miss a beat as he signed, "Teach me how to paint."   
Ilse giggled slightly, forgetting that Hanschen was hearing, and then morphed it into a half-cough, half-laugh. Seriously? Hanschen, learning how to paint? Ilse wasn't even sure if Hanschen was capable of doing anything that required human emotions. Ernst looked slightly apprehensive, and glanced at Ilse to silently ask her opinion. She nodded the slightest amount, enough to boost Ernst's confidence. He turned his gaze back to Hanschen and signed a simple "OK".   
Hanschen had taken art with him the year before, and he could draw enough that it didn't look absolutely horrible, so he wasn't too worried about what he had to teach him. He was, however, worried that he would make a fool of himself in front of the boy he had had a crush on since forever. During maths, he felt a vibration in his pocket and quickly checked to see what it was. Hanschen had texted him the time he was coming over to Ernst's house, asking if it was okay, and Ernst replied with a single emoticon of a thumb signifying the fact that it was fine. He put his phone away before he could get in trouble for having it out and got back to work on doodling in the corner of the worksheet, imagining the many ways that the afternoon could go wrong.   
Wendla gently tapped him and Martha on the shoulder to tell them that the bell had gone. On his way out of the room, he shook Moritz awake to save him from another detention.   
Hanschen was on his way out of band, and tapped Ernst on the back as he made his way to his locker. The taller boy smiled sheepishly as he headed to his own locker, weaving through the bustling crowd of students heading home.  
Hanschen smiled behind his back, thinking of his art lessons ahead of him with his own private tutor; the gorgeous Ernst Robel. His sister, Thea, shot him an incredulous look at his dopey grin and signed something that he completely ignored.  
Hanschen Rilow was in love, and he was going to be taught how to paint.


	2. And So It Begins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More gay German boys.

Ernst had no idea what to teach Hanschen about painting that he probably already knew. He figured that he could skip the basics and work on actually painting things-- perhaps portraits of each other? No, he thought, that might blow my cover of being totally-not-in-love and give everything away.   
Ernst had time to think at his house because he gets driven home by Ilse, while Hanschen takes the bus. Checking his phone, he guessed that the other boy would arrive in about 20 minutes, or 5 if he drove. He nervously got out his acrylics and some brushes that he could afford to damage-- not that he doubted Hanschen's abilities or anything, no, he feared that his trembling hands would shake the brushes onto the ground. How was he going to do this? Ernst compulsively checked the time again.   
Hanschen would be there any moment.   
He felt the floor vibrate in the way that it did when the door with the swollen wood from the heat scraped against it, meaning that someone had either come in or come out. He didn't want to make a fool of himself any more than necessary before what was surely going to be the single most mortifying experience of his life, so opted to stay in his room and play the 'I Didn't Hear You Come In' card and let Hanschen come to him.  
Come to his room, he corrected himself.  
Calm yourself, Ernst, seriously!  
Hanschen must have entered when Ernst was distracted by his thoughts, because he was soon startled by a hand on his shoulder. His hands fumbled on the paintbrushes he was clutching as he signed a greeting.   
Hanschen went to sit down, but Ernst stood up at the same time, making for a very awkward few seconds where they were both crouched and staring directly into the other's eyes. Hanschen cleared his throat, guiltily thankful that Ernst couldn't hear him as his voice was broken and slightly wobbly despite his stoic demeanour. Ernst stood the rest of the way up and put the brushes down so that he could sign properly.  
"Okay. I thought that since you've learnt the basics, we could go straight onto some portraits of each other? I mean, if that is what you want to do because I'll do whatever you want me to do-- want to do…"  
His hands slowed and he glanced at Hanschen, trying to decipher his expression. Oh God, this was embarrassing.   
Hanschen nodded.   
"That sounds good. I'm kind of shit at still-life kind of stuff, so excuse me if I butcher your delightful appearance." He made a movement that Ernst recognised as a laugh. Was he laughing at him? Was that a joke? Oh God, if Ilse was only here. Ernst realised that he hadn't moved from where he stood, or even showed any sign of understanding Hanschen's last comment. He smiled weakly and walked the small distance to the two cheap canvases set up beside the window. He prayed that the other boy was following as he really didn't want to turn back to check.   
Picking up the brushes again, he set half on Hanschen's side and half on his. He was just figuring out how to paint the blonde boy without looking at him when he was spun around by the very same boy.   
Hanschen heard Ernst squeak and fought not to smile at how cute it was. Sometimes he forgot that Ernst didn't speak; his signing was so full of character and personality, it was as if his voice was in his hands. He supposed that that was right: a non-speaking, signing individual's voice is their hands.   
Realising that he was distracted again, he signed, "I've only ever used flat colours so you will have to show me how to paint shadows."  
Ernst signed back, "We'll get to that later. First, we need to draw the outline of each other. Try not to look at the canvas too much; just focus on my face."  
Hanschen stifled a grin and muttered to himself, "That won't be too hard."   
Thankfully, Ernst didn't ask him to sign what he just said. Can he lip-read? _Fuck._  
They began to sketch each other's faces without signing as their hands were occupied. Hanschen noticed that Ernst hardly looked up, despite his advice to focus on the model rather than the drawing. He chanced a look at the other boy's work, and actually choked a bit.   
Hanschen looked like an angel, and it was only a rough sketch. How was Ernst doing this without looking? Did he have a photographic memory or--  
Oh.  
 _Oh._  
 _Perhaps_ , Hanschen thought hopefully, _perhaps he has my face ingrained into his memory? Does he secretly look at me that much?_   
He really hoped that that was the case.  
He looked at his own drawing. To be completely honest with himself, it was shit. Ernst looked like a potato with freckles, despite how handsome he was before him now, his features illuminated by the sun filtering in through the sheer curtains. Hanschen guessed that this was the _perfect_ opportunity to pull a cheesy trick from his bag of ideas stolen from horrible rom-coms and gay porn.  
He tapped Ernst gently, not wanting to bump his hand. Ernst jumped a bit and looked expectantly at Hanschen, who almost laughed at the expression of a bewildered rabbit on his face.   
"Can you help me with this? Sorry, I know that I'm kind of shit. Very shit, actually. You could just like, guide my hands a bit. So I can feel how to draw like you do."  
Ernst made the same squeaking noise, even as he kept his face blank. He nodded, even though he felt his insides explode at the chance to touch Hanschen, to guide Hanschen… 

How was he going to survive the remainder of the afternoon?


End file.
